Chained to Krampus (A Holiday Novella) by K.L. Wyatt

Author:K.L. Wyatt [Wyatt, K.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-11T18:30:00+00:00

5

HOLLY

I cup my hands around my mouth and blow out a hot breath to warm them up.

"It's chilly in here," I state the obvious while admiring my decoration work. Kristof chuckles behind me, "The fire is dying. I need to go grab some more wood."

"Do we have—” I begin to ask but stop suddenly at the sight of a wrapped present in Kristof's hand.

"What is that?" I inquire.

"It's a present..." He rises from the ground, and I am reminded how much he towers over me. "For you."

"For me?" I don't hide my surprise.

"Of course, for you. Who else would it be for?" He chuckles softly. "It's your Christmas present."

"But how—I mean...when and where did you get it?"

"Here." He places the pine-wrapped gift in my hands. "Open it while I go and get some more wood."

"But I have to come with—"

Before I finish my sentence, the shackles around my wrist creakily snap open. I'm free. I'm unchained from Krampus.

"What if I run away?" I blurt, but I receive no response. Instead, he wears an almost defeated smirk before gently pressing his lips on my head. I rub my newly freed wrist, and the feeling is almost unfamiliar. Kristof begins moving away from me slowly, and for the first time since our meeting, he is more than a few feet away from me. I should be happy, so why do I hate it?

"The tree looks perfect, just like you," he muses, but before I can respond, he's already leaving the cave to grab us some more firewood. I'm now left with a tiny package and waste no time ripping it open. What I discover has me holding back tears. A little wooden figure that looks just like me. It's rough around the edges, but the resemblance is uncanny. This must be what he was collecting the sticks for earlier. But when did he have time for this? I quickly realize that he has sat silently for the past few hours while I focused diligently on my own task.

I cup the small wooden figure in my hand and hug it tightly to my chest. It's the most thoughtful Christmas present I've ever received. Yet Kristof isn't here to celebrate with me. Instead, he decided to leave me alone, perhaps fearing my reaction. The day we spent together flashes before my eyes. He has quickly grown from being the monster who chained me, to a thoughtful, loving creature. We spent the majority of the day finding my perfect tree. Little did I know that I was finding my perfect mate.

I sincerely feel his absence but quickly realize a more significant issue is at hand. I don't have a present for him.

"Shit!" I curse under my breath and start scavenging around the cave for supplies. I run over to some shelves where he pulled out some of his mother's decorations, but I feel weird offering an already premade item.

"Think, Holly, think," I say to myself while I rest my hands on my hips, hoping an idea will strike me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.